3 Ingredients We Didn't Expect To Find In KFC's Secret Recipe Fries

If you love the Secret Recipe Fries at KFC (which we placed seventh in our ranking of the best fast food fries), then you may be wondering what exactly is in that "secret recipe" that makes the fries so tasty. Well, the recipe isn't exactly "secret," as it's listed on the KFC website — but it does include three surprising ingredients.

The ingredients in question? Onion powder, carrot powder, and tomato powder. Vegetable powders are not commonly associated with French fries — with the exception of onion powder — but these powders bring in plenty of extra savory flavor, so maybe they should be used for fries more often. Further, the vegetable powders are also listed quite close to the top of the ingredient list, so it's clear that they make a big impact on flavor.

Besides these three powders, the ingredient list is pretty standard — sea salt and vegetable oil, for example. So, the flavors of onion, carrot, and tomato may just be the "secret" aspect of KFC's Secret Recipe Fries.

Now that we know that the three vegetable powders are likely the key to the flavor of KFC's Secret Recipe Fries, you can try making your own version at home. Start with your favorite fry recipe — such as Daily Meal's recipe for the best French fries in the world — and add a generous helping of onion, carrot, and tomato powder. You likely already have onion powder in your pantry, so you'll just need to go out and buy carrot powder and tomato powder (which we think is a versatile spice that you should always have stocked).

You can also try to recreate the Secret Recipe fries with frozen French fries to make the process a bit easier. Mediocre frozen fries can already be taken to the next level with added seasoning, so you may as well try seasoning them with the trifecta of vegetable powders, along with salt.